She battled a balky microphone – “There must be a Republican gremlin in the sound system,” she said, provoking laughter – as she noted that the April 22 primary falls on Equal Pay Day, an event held to point out the wage gap between men and women. Authorities say women earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man, and for no reason other than gender. “This is not a ‘woman’s issue,’” Clinton said of the disparity. “This is an issue of equality and justice. This is a family issue.” “I love her,” said Nancy Streit, of Oreland, who hobbled into the event on a cane. “I’d like to see a woman become president.” She was among those who came out on a sun-splashed spring day to see not just a presidential candidate but what they hoped would be a part of history. “Not only women love Hillary,” said Catherine Allison, who works with the Chester County Democrats, noting the men in the audience. She supports Clinton, she said, because of the senator’s courage and intelligence – evident in her 1990s attempts to secure universal health care.”

Clinton believes that even when seeking to get ahead of a Wall Street crisis, we must apply a “Main Street Test.” Complex lending vehicles for sophisticated financiers must ultimately be shown to benefit America’s working families. What justifies a $30 billion temporary lifeline for Bear Stearns and more common-sense supervision of our mortgage industry is the recognition that hands-off postures toward mindless or mind-numbing lending practices can lead to an economic spiral that can hit Main Street hard.

Sometimes the best way to meet the Main Street Test is to directly assist those who live there. On Thursday, Clinton proposed a second stimulus package, focused on helping at-risk homeowners and communities. Across the nation, concentrated foreclosures and vacant buildings are leading to downward spirals; they threaten to bring crime and blight into once-viable neighborhoods. In early January, Clinton called for a $30 billion Emergency Housing Fund to give localities broad tools to head off this threat, including the latitude to buy and rent out or resell such vacant properties. Today, even Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is calling for policies to confront the community harm traced to “clusters of foreclosures.” If we can provide a $30 billion lifeline for Bear Stearns, can’t we afford $30 billion to prevent Main Streets from turning into mean streets? As important as productivity growth can be, the ultimate test of our long-term economic policies are the wages, jobs, health care and economic mobility of typical and too often “invisible” American families. The answer does not lie in extending high-income tax cuts or in expensive new corporate tax cuts. Nor is it in creating a spate of new government bureaucracies. Hillary Clinton supports policies that empower Americans directly to achieve greater economic security and upward mobility: a health-care tax credit that goes directly to you; a $1,000 matching tax cut that goes directly to your savings account; and higher education tax cuts that go directly to pay for your or your child’s tuition and dreams of a better future.

“Hillary Clinton, however, has stood up for Michigan voters and for issues important to our state, and I am proud to stand up for her. She is the candidate that best understands the issues that impact Michigan most – health care, protecting our manufacturing jobs, and fighting for the working families who are struggling to pay their mortgages and put food on the table. She is also the only candidate that insisted that Michigan voters be given a voice in our nominating process: she left her name on Michigan’s ballot and she has called for Michigan’s delegates to be seated at the Democratic Convention.
“Universal health care is the defining purpose of my congressional career and my father’s before me. My father first introduced universal health care legislation in 1943 and I have introduced legislation to ensure every American in this nation has health insurance for twenty-six Congresses. When Hillary Clinton is President, I will finally see that ambition become a reality.”

Top Hillary Headlines for January 18, 2008

Las Vegas Sun: “Hillary Clinton says she didn’t fully appreciate the depth of the subprime mortgage crisis until she walked door-to-door in a Las Vegas neighborhood, campaigning for Saturday’s caucus. It was a slice of the nation’s troubled economy that she hadn’t confronted while campaigning in Iowa and New Hampshire, Clinton said in a phone interview while campaigning in California on Thursday. Nevada leads the nation in the rate of foreclosures. “This makes it real,” Clinton said of her time in Nevada, which she returns to today. “It’s not just numbers. It’s people’s lives.”

Las Vegas Sun: “The issues that dominated the debate were the Iraq war, those involving minorities and the nation’s sluggish economy, which recent polls have shown Democratic voters care most about. Clinton, coming off a convincing win in the New Hampshire primary last week, had a commanding grasp of the issues that top the lists of everyday Americans and demonstrated she is more than ready to be president. A defining moment of the debate was when moderator Tim Russert asked Obama about a comment he’d made to the Reno Gazette-Journal. The newspaper reported that Obama acknowledged he doesn’t have the experience to run a bureaucracy, but he said voters weren’t looking for a chief operating officer. Clinton responded that there was a difference between the two candidates on this issue, and that you have to be able to manage and run a bureaucracy and hold it accountable every day. Indeed, President Bush’s hands-off style of governing, which can be seen notably in the fiascoes in the handling of the Iraq war and Hurricane Katrina, is something the United States can ill afford again. We need proven leadership at the helm, not someone who will need on-the-job training.”

Top Hillary Headlines for January 14, 2008

The Hill: President of California NAACP endorses Hillary: “Over the years, Hillary Clinton has earned my respect as a staunch advocate for the rights of people invisible to our nation’s government, including women, minorities, children and seniors,” said Alice Huffman, who heads California’s National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. “Hillary shares my commitment to children, and has been a lifelong advocate for improving childhood education and healthcare. As president, I feel strongly that Hillary will create an atmosphere in this country that accepts and promotes the rights of all Americans.”

“Five of seven public appearances during Clinton’s three-day swing through California and Nevada that ended yesterday were geared toward Hispanic voters. A sixth stop, to plug her proposed $70 billion economic stimulus package, also courted that group. A seventh was held at a Mexican restaurant. A big part of Clinton’s push is aimed at undermining Velasco’s union – the 60,000-member Culinary Workers Local 226 – by appealing directly to its membership of dishwashers, busboys and other casino-industry food workers, which is nearly 40 percent Latino.”

“But Clinton is also gunning for a bigger prize, using her Hispanic targeting campaign in Nevada as a steppingstone to woo California’s huge, highly politicized Spanish-speaking population, which represents nearly a quarter of that state’s electorate. “It’s weird that she’s been so totally focused on a group that makes up such a small percentage of the actual population here,” says a top Las Vegas organizer for Obama. “… So what’s her real strategy? California.” Indeed, Clinton “is very focused on California” and sees Nevada as a way of honing messages that appeal to Latinos in the Golden State, an aide said.”

Top Hillary Headlines for December 28, 2007

Political Blotter: “The eight-term congresswoman, in a news release, cited Clinton’s commitment to ending the war in Iraq as the top reason for her backing: “Hillary Clinton is the candidate with the strength and experience to bring about the change that California families need. I trust Hillary to end the war in Iraq, bring our troops home quickly and safely, and regain our nation’s standing around the world.” Said Clinton: “I am honored to receive Lynn’s support. She has been a tireless fighter for working families and has led the effort to end the war in Iraq.” Other local representatives supporting Clinton include Tom Lantos, D-San Mateo; Ellen Tauscher, D-Alamo; and Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater — notably, perhaps the three greater Bay Area Democrat considered most centrist, while “Woolsey” and “centrist” are hardly ever spoken in the same sentence. Meanwhile, Lee is the only California member of Congress on Obama’s endorsement list; that choice also set her apart from her political mentor, longtime Congressman and current Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, who picked Clinton.”

Top Hillary Headlines for December 27, 2007

New York Times: “Mrs. Clinton apparently found in her a kindred spirit. “Bhutto acknowledged the difficulties faced by women who were breaking with tradition and taking leading roles in public life,” she wrote. “She deftly managed to refer both to the challenges I had encountered during my White House tenure and to her own situation. ‘Women who take on tough issues and stake out new territory are often on the receiving end of ignorance,’ she concluded.”

Internation Union of Painters and Allied Trades: “The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) announced today that it will be throwing its full support behind Hillary Rodham Clinton as the next president of the United States. The endorsement is the result of an unprecedented special ballot that was sent to 160,000 IUPAT members and retirees across the United States. “Our members have spoken and they have overwhelmingly chosen Senator Clinton as the IUPAT candidate for president,” said IUPAT General President James Williams. “They told us that they want retirement security, health care reform and a leader in the White House who can deliver the change this country needs. Senator Clinton, the members of the Painters and Allied Trades believe in you, and we’re ready to help you win in 2008.”

Boston Globe: “Maine—Gov. John Baldacci has endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton. He’s the eighth governor to back the New York senator in her race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Baldacci, a Democrat, touts Clinton’s “strength and experience” as making her the best for a “a very rough job.” He also she’ll “be ready to lead on her first day in office.” Other governors who have thrown their support behind her include New York’s Eliot Spitzer, New Jersey’s Jon Corzine, Ohio’s Ted Strickland, Maryland’s Martin O’Malley, Arkansas’ Mike Beebe and Michigan’s Jennifer Granholm.”

Top Hillary Headlines for December 13, 2007

The Page: “On tarmac at Reagan Airport en route to debate, Clinton tells rival that negative, personal characterizations are not a part of her campaign. Disavows comments by big-shot New Hampshire supporter Billy Shaheen.”

- Falsely registering to vote is fraud in Iowa. Someone from Illinois who thinks voter fraud is a way of life in that state will find a much different attitude from Iowa prosecutors.

- It would take hundreds of people in the right precincts to make a difference in the outcome. Any plan that brings thousands of people into Iowa to vote would be so visible everyone would see it, and it would backfire on the candidate who is supposed to benefit. It’s also called conspiracy, another crime.

- There is a law of diminishing returns on the Democratic side. After a candidate has won all the delegates from a college precinct, adding more caucus-goers to it does nothing to improve that candidate’s score.

- These are neighborhood meetings. In most caucuses, people know one another.

- Credibility. It’s not going to do Obama or Paul any good to have a showing in Iowa that is tainted. Obama has worked hard in Iowa. He has built an impressive organization and can win this on the legit. He doesn’t need to give opposition spinners a way to discredit a victory.

The bottom line here is that on caucus night, Iowans in both parties should work hard to conduct caucuses that are above reproach.

If Iowa can’t get this right, then Iowa shouldn’t get this sort of influence.

“The New York senator also responded to a statement Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois made in a broadcast interview Monday evening in which he suggested Clinton is falsely claiming too much credit for White House experience. “Voters are going to decide who has the qualifications and experience to be president and lead our country through these challenging times. I’m very proud of my record of accomplishment, going back 35 years, and certainly of the opportunity I had to represent our country in more than 82 countries, to be the voice and face of America in so many places, to stand up for women’s rights and human rights in China, to pursue religious tolerance by meeting regularly with leaders of Islamic countries that I was privileged to visit,” she said. “If he wants to argue about our relative experience, that’s a discussion that I welcome.”

“In January, Obama announced that he would stop raising money for the leadership committee, called Hopefund. But in recent months, Obama has handed out more than $180,000 from the PAC to local Democratic groups and candidates in the key early-voting states, campaign reports show. Some of the recipients of Hopefund’s largesse were state and local politicians who have recently endorsed Obama’s presidential bid. The fund also spent more than $440,000 on other expenses, including contributions to Democratic candidates in states that do not have early presidential contests.

Top Hillary Headlines for November 24, 2007

Boston Globe: “Hillary Clinton’s campaign is capitalizing on an overlooked strain of feminism in blue-collar women – nurse’s aides, factory workers, farmers, and single mothers – to help fuel her strength among the Democratic candidates for president. Even many working-class women who have spent their lives in traditional roles at home and work have been animated by Clinton’s effort to shatter what she has called “the highest, hardest glass ceiling.” In recent interviews, some of these Clinton supporters say that they have been impressed enough by her advocacy for healthcare and children to jettison their previous views of her as a brash, ambitious lawyer and politician. Some said a female president would do things not just differently, but better.”

Top Hillary Headlines for November 9, 2007

Wall Street Journal Washington Wire: “Two-thirds of Democrats in new Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll give New York senator strong marks for “bringing real change,” compared with half who say that about Obama. Potential first woman president outpaces potential first African-American president on representing “an exciting choice,” and matches him on “being compassionate.”

“We may have differences on the Democratic side about specifics, but I think we all stand for really substantive change away from what we have seen as a dangerous experiment in extremism,” she added. Clinton also acknowledged the political shots being fired at her by Democratic rivals but said she intended to maintain a positive campaign with less than two months left before Iowa’s leadoff caucuses, regardless of what her opponents do. “Everybody chooses how to run their own campaigns, and I’m not running anybody’s campaign except my own,” she said. “I’m just going to keep using my energy to talk about energy and health care and all of that and I’ll let my opponents decide if they want to use their energy attacking me. I guess that seems to be the choice they’re making.”

The New York senator was accompanied in Clinton for her speech at the Eagle Point Lodge by former Vice President Walter Mondale, who endorsed Clinton and urged those in attendance to caucus for her. Mondale praised Clinton’s efforts to avoid criticizing her Democratic competitors. “She knows it’s not the time to tear down her fellow Democrats with personal attacks,” he said. “Now she’s running this positive campaign.”

New York Times: “Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Senate office announced this afternoon that Mrs. Clinton, along with 29 other Democratic senators, had signed a letter to President Bush expressing “serious concerns” about the administration’s posture toward Iran and its strategy to stop that nation from developing nuclear weapons.”

Top Hillary Headlines for October 31, 2007

Boston Globe: “Hillary Clinton came under relentless fire last night from fellow Democrats, who slammed her on issues ranging from Iran to Social Security, and all but called their rival a liar as they sought to slow down the New York senator’s campaign momentum.”

Top Hillary Headlines for October 30, 2007

New York Times: “When the Democratic candidates gather on the campus of Drexel University in Philadelphia on Tuesday for yet another debate, the arrows may be pointed even more directly at Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York. And they could be coming from more than one direction. In an interview last week, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois telegraphed his intention to sharpen his distinctions with Mrs. Clinton. At the same time, though, he said he had no plans to “kneecap the front-runner.”

Boston Globe: “In the nine months since launching his insurgent campaign for president, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois has seized on a slew of issues in trying to set himself apart from Senator Hillary Clinton of New York. But with Clinton’s dominance unabated, there is little evidence Obama has made headway on any of them. Poll after poll shows Clinton not only leading the Democratic field, but also leading on issues on which Obama has sought to gain advantage. Likely voters say that they see Clinton as the best candidate to fix Iraq. They trust her over her rivals to solve the healthcare crisis. And they believe she would bring change to Washington. Part of Obama’s problem, analysts say, is that despite how hard his campaign is working to highlight its differences – he is vowing again this week to take her on more directly – he and Clinton are simply not far apart on major issues.”

Boston Globe: “IN AN interview with The Boston Globe editorial board on Oct. 10, Senator Hillary Clinton made a remark that has been so badly twisted by her opponents that we feel it necessary to reprint the interview transcript that contains the remark….All in good fun, perhaps, until you learn that Clinton was saying she opposes big government spending, not the other way around.

At the Globe meeting, Clinton was asked why she had turned cool on a proposal for so-called baby bonds that she has spoken favorably about just the week before. Baby bonds – sometimes called Individual Development Accounts – are small nest eggs government sets aside for each American child, which would build until adulthood when they could be used for college tuition or a down payment on a house. Though ridiculed when Clinton mentioned them, baby bonds have bipartisan support and can be an effective way to fight poverty. Clinton was asked whether dropping a good, new, bold idea like this was a symptom of what some critics have called a too-cautious campaign.

Here is Clinton’s full answer: “Well, I have a lot of good, new, bold ideas, and I have to make some choices among them.” She explained that baby bonds didn’t have the level of political support of other proposals she had to help people pay for college. “I have a million ideas. I can’t do all of them. I happen to think in running a disciplined campaign – especially when it comes to fiscal responsibility, which is what I’m trying to do – everything I propose I have to pay for. You know, you go to my website, you’ll see what I would use to pay for what I’ve proposed. So I’ve got a lot of ideas, I just obviously can’t propose them all. I can’t afford them all. The country can’t afford them all.”

Clinton has adopted a pay-as-you-go rule for new spending, much like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s rules for the Democratic Congress. In order to avoid ballooning the deficit, the pay-go rules require a funding source be attached to any new spending. The 60-cent hike in the cigarette tax that would have paid for the expansion of children’s healthcare is one example.

New York Times: “The campaign sent out an e-mail tonight, using some of the strongest language it has used in public against Mr. Obama, who has been raising a ruckus over her vote to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. “Stagnant in the polls and struggling to revive his once-buoyant campaign, Senator Obama has abandoned the politics of hope and embarked on a journey in search of a campaign issue to use against Senator Clinton,” the e-mail said.
“Nevermind that he made the very argument he is now criticizing back in November 2006,” it adds. “Nevermind that he he co-sponsored a bill designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a global terrorist group back in April.”

Top Hillary Headlines for October 21, 2007

Hillary Clinton will return to the Silver State this Sunday, October 21 to meet with Nevadans and discuss her plans to bring the change America needs. On Sunday, Clinton will host a town hall-style “Discussion on Health Care” at the East Las Vegas Senior Center, 250 N. Eastern Avenue in Las Vegas. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. Later, Clinton invites Nevadans to a “Ready to Lead in the West” rally at Las Vegas Springs Preserve, Crossroads Commons Amphitheater, 333 S. Valley View Boulevard in Las Vegas. Doors open at 12:45 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.

Top Hillary Headlines for October 18, 2007

Boston Globe: “For months, as the presidential primary calendar has grown more uncertain, political junkies have joked that New Hampshire voters would be going to the polls in church clothes on Christmas Eve – or worse, in their costumes on Halloween. But the presidential contenders have stopped laughing and begun preparing for the possibility that the vaunted first-in-the nation primary will take place in 2007, almost a year before the country selects its next president. The authority for setting New Hampshire’s primary date lies with the secretary of state, William Gardner, who is notoriously vague about his intentions. But with other states encroaching on the Granite State’s closely guarded tradition, Gardner and one of his closest allies, state Representative Jim Splaine, have been hinting that the date might be in December, perhaps Tuesday the 11th. As a result, the presidential campaigns are girding for a much earlier New Hampshire primary than they have been anticipating. “Last week I would have said it was crazy,” said a senior aide to one leading Democratic candidate, speaking on condition of anonymity. “This week, I’d say it’s possible.”

Slate: “When I told an Obama aide I didn’t think she was changing her position on direct personal negotiations with Iranian leaders, the aide asked, “So when she says I, she actually means someone else?” The answer is yes. Clinton is using a common campaign construction in which the first-person singular stands for the entire administration. So, for example, when Obama pledges, as he did earlier in the month, “I will begin to remove our troops from Iraq immediately,” he is not saying that he will go to Iraq to do the job himself. He’s saying he would task his secretary of defense and the Joint Chiefs to get the job done. So, too, with Clinton: She would task people to negotiate, but it does not necessarily follow from her statement that she would do the negotiations herself, which has always been her distinction. There’s no evidence she was talking about direct negotiations with foreign leaders. Hence, no flip-flop.”

Clinton chuckles at the competing thoughts. “I don’t know what they’re talking about. But I can’t run anyone else’s campaign. I can only run my campaign. And my campaign is about a positive agenda for America’s future,” she said Friday in an interview with The Associated Press after visiting an after-school program in Columbia.

CNN: “He wouldn’t say which presidential candidate he supports by name, but former Mexico President Vicente Fox made clear Monday on CNN’s Larry King Live who he hopes will be the next occupant of the White House. “A lady would be my choice,” the man who served as Mexico’s president from 2000-2006 said, when asked if he had a favorite in the White House race. Asked if he was referring to Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, Fox repeated that he’d prefer a woman in the White House.
“There ain’t no other lady running,” King noted.

Top Hillary Headlines for October 9, 2007

Boston Globe: “Don Schwartz, who describes himself as “a super-Deaniac progressive type,” decided to back Hillary Clinton – whose centrist views, he concedes, do not necessarily match his own – for a simple reason. He wanted, finally, to be with a winner. When Schwartz, the vice chairman of the Londonderry Democratic committee, started to contact his neighbors, with a goal of reaching 100 people per week, he thought he would have to appeal to their respect for her rather than their affection.

“I was actually surprised how many people said they were for Hillary,” Schwartz said. “Now, they’re getting to know her, and they’re starting to like her. She is a nice person!” That reaction to the kind feelings the New York senator is able to generate has been a common one in New Hampshire, where a range of Democrats said last week that they are amazed to find themselves falling for the presidential hopeful. “I actually like her more than I thought I would,” Martha LaFlanne, 49, the vice president of student affairs at New Hampshire Community Technical College in Berlin. “I think she’s proven to be her own woman.”

UPI: “Hillary Rodham Clinton, in Iowa, has received the endorsement of George McGovern, the 1972 U.S. Democratic presidential candidate defeated by Richard Nixon. McGovern, 85, endorsed Clinton Saturday at a barbecue in Iowa City, where more than a thousand people turned out to hear five Democratic presidential hopefuls speak of their vision for the nation, The Des Moines Register reported Sunday.”

CNN: “For the first time, a majority of Democrats nationwide supports Clinton for their party’s nomination. Clinton’s support in the Washington Post-ABC News poll jumped 12 points from last month, to 53 percent. She’s 33 points ahead of her closest competitor, Sen. Barack Obama. That establishes Clinton as the clear national front-runner. Being front-runner means being a target of criticism from other Democrats.”

Top Hillary Headlines for October 2, 2007

New York Times: “Surpassing her rivals by a margin that few Democrats predicted, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign announced this morning that it had raised $22 million since July to compete in the 2008 primaries, and another $5 million for the general election should she win her party’s nomination.”“Clinton’s blow-away third quarter fundraising total is likely to have, among other things, a profound psychological effect on voters,” Mr. Panagopoulos said. “It will give the impression of growing Clinton strength — both in terms of dollars and number of donors.”

Instead, the mantle of experience is being credited to a former first lady because she’s met with foreign leaders, helped her husband on policy issues and supported him against political attacks.

Polls show more than four in 10 voters nationwide – including Republicans and independents – give Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton the edge among the Democratic candidates on the issue of experience.

“She sat as close to the job as you can sit without doing it,” said Bob Sweeney an assistant high school principal and undecided Democrat from Atlantic, Iowa.

“She’s worked with foreign diplomats before,” said Leanne Dell of Pella, Iowa, an uncommitted Democrat.

“Everybody pooh-poohed her talk of a vast right wing conspiracy,” said Fred Noon, president of the Municipal Laborers Local 353 in Des Moines. “There absolutely was. It may not have been coordinated, but she and her husband have been the focus of a right wing slander campaign, and they handled it very well.”

“As candidates leave Hanover, the story line remains much the same as it was entering. Clinton’s performance, while not exceptional, stood out by virtue of other campaigns’ lack of ability to make her stumble. If that is to change, Edwards, Obama and other candidates will need to find a new line of attack that can actually bring her down.”

But even putting aside the gamesmanship, it is hard to find someone who thinks Mrs. Clinton is not now the candidate to beat. Even President Bush reportedly told a group of television journalists last week that he thought she would win her party’s nomination.

But what is this assessment of front-runner status based on? And how realistic is it?

Typically, a candidate is adjudged a front-runner because he — or she — leads in the polls, has the most endorsements, is ahead in fund-raising, gets the most media attention, draws the biggest crowds and, well, just comes across as a front-runner.

Mrs. Clinton has been helped considerably by the perception in Democratic circles that she has outpaced her competitors at most of the candidate debates.”

“So while Barack Obama has spent nearly $3 million introducing himself to primary voters and Bill Richardson has spent more than $2 million, Mrs. Clinton has been able to go directly to Phase Two. When she finally rolled out her long awaited health care plan last week, for example, it was followed immediately by a 30-second ad boosting her plan.

According to Mr. Tracey, Mrs. Clinton has bought about $800,000 worth of advertising time so far in Iowa and New Hampshire for her three ads, mostly on local broadcast networks. In other words, she’s just getting started.”

She now sits atop the Democratic field, in a tier by herself. She has achieved that by performing at a consistently high level in debates and on the campaign trail, along with help from a campaign that has been largely free of major mistakes. She showed Sunday she could stand in against some of the best pitching in political journalism.

“I will not vote for any funding that does not move us toward beginning to withdraw our troops, that does not have pressure on the Iraqi government to make the tough political decisions that they have, that does not recognize that there is a diplomatic endeavor that has to be undertaken,” the New York Democrat said on “Fox News Sunday.” President Bush plans to ask Congress this week for nearly $200 billion to fund the war through the end of next year.

Clinton — who holds a 22-point lead over her closest rival, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, in the latest national Gallup Poll on the Democratic presidential field — did not criticize her opponents for the party nomination. Instead she focused on her general-election prospects, highlighting her success in winning Republican and independent votes in her two Senate races.

“Anyone who gets the Democratic nomination is going to be subjected to the withering attacks that come from the other side,” Clinton said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I think I’ve proven that I not only can survive them but surpass them.”

Boston Globe: “”Her opponents are starting to worry that she is consolidating her position, and that’s potentially fatal for them,” said Raphael Sonenshein, a political science professor at California State University, Fullerton. “A lot of people watching her campaign are surprised by the fact that it’s strengthening and could be starting to break away.”

Boston Globe editorial: “But Clinton knows Congress will fill in the details, and a national connector could be added then. Notwithstanding the fine points of any candidate’s health plan, the key ingredients of reform are a presidential commitment to universal coverage, a Congress that is amenable to a new approach, and money to cover the costs of new coverage.”

CNN: “One day after unveiling her health care plan, Sen. Hillary Clinton called criticism of her strategy “politics as usual” and defended the proposal as an effective way to give all Americans affordable insurance. In Des Moines, Iowa, Monday, Clinton announced a $110 billion plan that would require all Americans to have health insurance. “I feel very good and quite confident that the parts of the plan that I have put together will find a lot of favor among people who know what we have to do to get to universal coverage,” Clinton, D-New York, told CNN.”

Top Hillary Headlines for September 16, 2007

Post and Courier: “U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton told the biggest annual gathering of Lowcountry civil rights leaders Saturday that she will take five specific steps to help their cause if she wins the presidency next year. Clinton addressed almost 1,000 people during the Charleston NAACP’s 91st annual banquet, and she chose the occasion to unveil her plans for bolstering civil rights.”

But here is one of the almost countless advantages Hillary enjoys by virtue of her marriage. Nobody seriously thinks he understands American politics better than Bill Clinton does. Having the only Democrat who happened to win two full terms as president since FDR as your top adviser ends a lot of arguments before they begin.

What’s more, for a front-runner to lose a nomination – something that is admittedly far more common among Democrats than Republicans – something big has to happen to upset the proverbial apple cart. But not only has Hillary’s organization worked enormously effectively, the candidate’s performance itself has been almost flawless.

She has shined in the debates, demonstrating poise, knowledge and even warmth in equal measure. No less important, she has defanged her most significant nemesis: her Iraq vote and her relationship to the party’s furiously antiwar base.”

“It’s just a gut feeling,” said Moore, 53, a mother of five. “It’s her experience.”

A new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll of voters in key early primary states reveals that Moore and McCarthy are not alone. They represent a paradox of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination: While a plurality of Democratic voters considers the Iraq war to be the most pressing issue facing the candidates, the more hawkish Clinton has found a sweet spot in the debate that makes her appealing. Many voters who want an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops support her candidacy and consider her best able to end the war, as do many who back a more gradual drawdown.

“It’s just the way Hillary Clinton handles herself,” said McCarthy, 55, who lives near Myrtle Beach, S.C . “She says what she wants, and I think she’ll let the American people know exactly what’s going on.”… The poll, which surveyed registered voters who planned to turn out for the primaries or caucuses in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, found that a plurality in each state thought Clinton more than her rivals would be “the best at ending the war in Iraq” — 33 percent in Iowa, 32 percent in New Hampshire and 36 percent in South Carolina. Clinton holds substantial leads even among voters who listed the war as the top priority facing the candidates.

“There is nobody better prepared to take up the battle for universal health insurance, and there is no one I would trust more than Senator Clinton to strengthen Social Security in order to keep the promises we have made as a nation to our retirees, our disabled workers and to their survivors,” Young said in the statement. Clinton said, “These hardworking men and women are part of the fabric of every community in America, and they deserve an advocate in the White House.” She also has the support of the United Transportation Union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and the Transportation Communication Union.

CNN: “Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, sent a letter to President Bush describing his reported plan to withdraw 30,000 troops next summer “too little too late and unacceptable to this Congress.” “As Commander-in-Chief you have the authority and ability to greatly accelerate the redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq, and to bring so many more troops home so much faster,” Clinton, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, writes in the letter. “I strongly urge you to choose this course of action.”

“The Democratic pecking order is also remarkably stable. Hillary Clinton has enjoyed a double-digit lead over her nearest rival for months. The latest Pew poll suggests that, if anything, that lead is widening, with 40% of Democrats and Democrat-leaners favouring Mrs Clinton compared with 21% who favour Barack Obama. But most Democrats would be thrilled to have either of the front-runners as their nominee.”

Top Hillary Headlines for August 27, 2007

FirstRead: “In Cedar Rapids, IA beginning at 11:00 am ET, four Democratic presidential candidates — Clinton, Edwards, Richardson, and Kucinich (in that order) — participate today in the LIVESTRONG presidential cancer forum, moderated by MSNBC’s Chris Matthews and Lance Armstrong. Each candidate will have two minutes for an opening statement, and then will engage the moderators for 13 minutes in Q&A. …Also, this will be the first forum/debate that Obama, whose mother died of ovarian cancer, has skipped since his campaign declared that it would begin limiting the senator’s appearances at debates and forums.”

Boston Globe: “Clinton — accompanied by her husband and their daughter Chelsea — smiled broadly and swayed to the music as singer Carly Simon and her two children, Ben and Sally Taylor, sang “Devoted to You” for a Martha’s Vineyard crowd of more than 2,000. Simon, along with actors Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, showered the Clintons with praise and predicted the senator from New York will be elected as the nation’s first woman president. “Is it Mrs. President or Madam President?” Simon asked a smiling Clinton.”

In the logic of politics, questioning an opponent’s credentials is a fundamental right. And in our overheated 24/7 presidential campaign, any claim is likely to find partisans and media types willing to run with it for a few days. But during her editorial board with the Monitor on Friday, Clinton made a convincing case that both in campaigning with her husband and in living with him in the White House for eight years, she learned plenty.”

“She spoke wistfully of the 1992 primary campaign in New Hampshire. Her husband took two huge hits in the final days of that campaign. He faced allegations of sexual dalliances, and a letter he wrote to the draft board during the Vietnam War became public. The first he answered on 60 Minutes with his wife at his side. On the second, he faced the media and defended himself in Manchester. Hillary Clinton told us that even on election eve, as campaign aides advised Bill Clinton to prepare for a drubbing, she remained confident.

“From this experience and from watching John Kerry fall to an attack on his patriotism and war experience in 2004, she learned a valuable lesson: Immediately answer any attack on your character, no matter how absurd. During the interview, Clinton described the presidency as a lonely job in which her husband turned to her for counsel on “everything.” She contrasted the Clinton style – don’t just interact with leaders of other countries, go directly to the people – to the Bush style. She described how the lessons of her failed effort to reform health care in the early months of the Clinton presidency had informed the way she approaches the issue now.”

[snip]

But Hillary Clinton knows the rough-and-tumble of American politics as well as anyone. For her, political experience is a strength, not a weakness. To claim otherwise plays right into her hands.

New York Times: “Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said Saturday evening that if she is elected president in 2008, she would quickly ask “distinguished Americans of both parties” to travel the world before her inauguration to proclaim a new era of “bipartisan foreign policy” in the United States.”

Top Hillary Headlines for August 24, 2007

Boston Globe: “At a backyard gathering of supporters, Clinton was asked why she has the best chance of defeating the eventual Republican nominee. She argued that her long history of coming under Republican fire as first lady and now a New York senator makes her the most prepared for a general election fight.”

“I’ve been through it and I understand their tactics. I have been subjected to them for 15 years and I have survived them,” she said. “There’s something to be said for that, because I understand what they will do.” She said the goal of Republicans will be to “drive up the negatives” of the Democratic nominee.”

“Hillary’s been through the mill,” McCarty, who calls herself a retired homemaker, said at a recent Clinton campaign meeting at a Pizza Ranch restaurant here. “She took a lot of abuse as first lady, and hopefully she knows how to handle it. She’s very strong, she’s very smart and I’m glad she’s a woman.” In Iowa, it’s all about getting people to the caucuses on a cold night this winter.”

“There seemed to be a little bit of a debate about do we need change or we need experience? Well, we need both. It’s not either or,” Clinton said. “And I’m going to take my 35 years of experience and I’m going to put it to work on behalf of the change we need in Washington on day one.”

New York Times: “When Karl Rove said yesterday that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s unfavorable rating was in the “high 40s,” maybe he hadn’t seen the most recent CBS News poll. And when he said no one had been elected with negatives as high as hers, he had apparently forgotten some recent history. The CBS News poll, conducted from Aug. 8 to Aug. 12, showed Mrs. Clinton’s unfavorable rating at 39 percent. That number has been falling bit by bit since its high mark of 46 percent in April.

That 46 percent was the highest negative rating measured by The New York Times and CBS News since the two news organizations began polling about Mrs. Clinton in 1992.
Over the last few months as her negative ratings have fallen, her positive ratings have fluctuated, with the most recent poll showing that 41 percent of voters have a favorable view of her. Mr. Rove’s point was this: “There’s nobody who has ever won the presidency who started out in that kind of position.” In fact, Mrs. Clinton’s husband was in that very position and did win. And Mrs. Clinton’s numbers are better than his were at this point in his first campaign for the White House. In April 1992, only 26 percent of voters had a favorable view of Bill Clinton, while 40 percent viewed him unfavorably, according to a Times/CBS poll. By June 1992, his favorables had plunged further, so that only 16 percent had a favorable opinion, with 40 percent still unfavorable. After Mr. Clinton won the nomination and after his convention, his favorable rating began to rise. By October 1992, his ratings had become about even, with 34 percent favorable and 35 percent unfavorable.

CNN: “New York Sen. Hillary Clinton said Monday that President Bush needs to clarify recent comments from an administration official saying the military draft “has always been an option on the table.”

In a letter to Bush dated Monday, Clinton writes, “While our forces, in particular the Army and Marine Corps, are under strain, re-establishing a draft is not the answer. The seeds of many of the problems that continue to plague our mission in Iraq were planted in the failure to adequately plan for the conflict and properly equip our men and women in uniform.”

“We need a winner as our next President of the United States – someone that can help realistically improve relations in the world, someone that will work to provide affordable and accessible health care, and someone that is simply a strong leader,” Johnson said in a campaign statement. “I know that’s Hillary Clinton.”

Also helping Clinton haul in the cash at the $1,000-a-ticket Sept. 14 bash will be music mogul Quincy Jones, who endorsed Clinton last month, Motown founder Berry Gordy and former Motown Chairman Clarence Avant.

Top Hillary Headlines for August 12, 2007

Boston Globe: “In several national polls and in Iowa, the first caucus state, she is the Democrat who most likely primary voters say is the “strongest leader,” a term generally seen as encompassing defense know-how. And a New York Times/CBS News poll of Republicans as well as Democrats last month found that 58 percent of respondents thought it was somewhat or very likely that she would be an effective commander in chief.”

“Clinton came into the campaign with some advantages in foreign policy, including eight years of globe-hopping and meetings with world leaders as the wife of a president. But the extent to which she is seen among voters as a credible commander in chief has surprised many campaign observers, given how much other women in American politics have struggled to be taken seriously on military and foreign policy issues.”

Anne Rice: “Again, I believe the Democratic Party is the party that is most likely to help Americans make a transition away from the abortion crisis that we face today. Its values and its programs — on a whole variety of issues — most clearly reflect my values. Hillary Clinton is the candidate whom I most admire.”

Did growing plants on a roof instead of nailing down shingles sound goofy to her? Nope – she understood the “urban heat island” effect, which means that the soil-and-plant roof will be 40 percent cooler than a typical top. And how hippie-silly is using shredded blue jeans to insulate the walls? Not at all, she said – aside from the recycling benefit, it snuffs the danger of glass-like fibers breaking down and polluting the air. “It’s exciting to tour someone who is so aware of the issues of sustainability, of green buildings and even the challenges of creating green buildings,” said a shell-shocked-looking Chris Andrews, who as the academy’s associate director led Clinton and Newsom through the $484 million structure. “I frankly did not expect that.

“I’ve led a lot of tours like this with a lot of officials, and believe me, this was pretty unusual to have someone understand what I was talking about.”

Queerty: “Last but certainly not least, we got ourselves a bit of Hillary Clinton. The front runner amongst gays and Democrats, Clinton seemed the most comfortable on stage, laughing and charming the pants and panties off the crowd. “I’m your girl,” she laughed with Margaret Carlson.”

Top Hillary Headlines for August 8, 2007

Marine Times: “Clinton’s question is fair. Our real enemy — Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network, which is headquartered in Pakistan, not in Iraq — already knows most Americans want our Iraq adventure to end. Clearly, a mistake was made in the Pentagon when Edelman’s reply was drafted. Edelman is a Foreign Service officer, as I once was. He was an assistant to Vice President Dick Cheney during the buildup to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and has stayed mostly out of the limelight since settling in the Pentagon in August 2005. It’s unclear why Edelman signed the letter to Clinton, which, according to typical Washington practice, should have borne Gates’ signature. Edelman, Clinton said, was “impugning the patriotism of any of us who raise serious questions.” Clinton has taken a measured approach to change in Iraq. Her request for information doesn’t mean she supports an immediate pullout. Clinton’s detractors are passionate, but even they cannot deny that Clinton has more experience than many public figures.”

“Before they know it, their dream of homeownership turns into a nightmare,” Clinton said. Clinton said her plan involves making sure brokers are honest with their clients and licensed with their states, establishing a $1 billion fund to go toward state programs assisting families facing foreclosure and dedicating another $1 billion to organizations seeking to add affordable housing.”

“She has the organization, she has the money, she has the discipline,” DeLay said. “I’m not trying to depress you. I’m trying to get you to face reality.” DeLay explained in an interview earlier in the day that his aim was to energize rank-and-file conservatives, such as the 200 federation members from 26 states who gathered at the Airport Marriott for the three-day conference, which ends Sunday.”

“I don’t think that by any means answers the questions,” said Clinton, D-N.Y., who has been seeking such a briefing for two months. She and Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., announced proposed legislation seeking specific answers on how the Pentagon is planning to remove troops and equipment from Iraq whenever the U.S. decides to draw down its military presence there.”

“The New York Times’s Katharine Q. Seelye was standing next to us and has reported the same story on the Times’ blog, The Caucus. Ari Melber of The Nation has a post up that tells the story the way it must appear to most Kossacks, as a last-minute reversal by Clinton and a seemingly “odd” move for her campaign as it appears to be making some headway reaching out to the netroots. Right now as I write this, one of the top recommended diaries on Daily Kos is titled, “YK ’07: Effing Hillary Jilts Kossacks!” Since in politics, 90% of reality is perception, it will be interesting to see how the Clinton campaign deals with this episode. Perhaps the YearlyKos organizers will offer a clarification tomorrow. Stay tuned.”

“You may rest assured,” Gates wrote to Clinton, “that such planning is indeed taking place with my active involvement.” The Soviet rout from Afghanistan is one of the worst-case scenarios that a rapid withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq could provoke. “They had to airlift out of Kandahar, the fighting was so bad,” Morgan recalled. Another nightmare image remains familiar decades on – the helicopters taking off from the roof of the US embassy in Saigon, leaving desperate Vietnamese allies to their fate.

Top Hillary Headlines for July 27, 2007

Associated Press: “Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton fielded questions on health care, Iraq and China during a Friday stop in West Virginia, considered safely Democratic when her husband ran for the White House but which helped elect President Bush twice. The senator from New York said she plans to resume the push for universal coverage that foundered during President Bill Clinton’s first term. “We just have to be more willing to listen to each other about what will work. We can do this,” Clinton told a first-come, first-seated, standing-room only crowd of about 700 at West Virginia State University.

“She’s demonstrating that it really helps to have lived in the White House. She can draw on a range of experiences unmatched by her rivals. She’s dominated most of the debates. She’s transformed her position on Iraq without a ripple. Her measured, statistic-filled speeches rarely inspire passion, but always confidence.”

“Her success has put incredible pressure on Barack Obama. He continues to attract huge crowds and huge money, but he also continues to make rookie mistakes, like saying he’d talk with Hugo Chávez. He’s forced to campaign on the defensive now, knowing that each misstep reinforces the “He’s too young” story line.”

In particular, she wants the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, on which she serves, to pressure the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to adopt clear radiation standards that would ensure public health and safety. She also called on the Department of Energy to halt the project’s application until the EPA takes action.
“There has been a great deal of confusion and stonewalling by the administration to finding appropriate, scientifically based information,” Clinton said. “We need to get this information on the record and do everything we can to lay the groundwork to make it clear that we will not proceed with Yucca Mountain.” If elected president, Clinton said, she would “not go forward” with the project. In a past interview with the Sun, Clinton said she would refuse to fund Yucca Mountain.

Guests at a birthday function Bill Clinton attended Thursday for former South African President Nelson Mandela wanted to know if the American was ready for a role reversal. “You bet!” Clinton said, sitting next to a chuckling Mandela.

Top Hillary Headlines for July 20, 2007

CNN: “Why does Clinton appear to have an edge over Obama among blacks? According to CNN Polling Director Keating Holland, one reason may be the “brand loyalty” many blacks feel toward the name Clinton — most black primary voters in South Carolina say that Clinton understands their problems better than Obama does.”

Top Hillary Headlines for July 16, 2007

Joe Wilson Endorses Hillary: “I’m delighted to fight the fight with her. … The person who has always reached out to us has been Hillary. … I think Hillary is a fighter. … She is a wonderful individual. … More diplomacy the better. There is no daylight between us on Iran.” – former ambassador Joseph Wilson”

“Former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, who ran for president in 2004, said women have a tendency to bad-mouth each other and sabotage their campaigns. “It’s a nasty business. Women will put standards on other women that they won’t put on the men,” she said at Saturday’s event. “We’re socialized to be competitive in a way that men don’t have to be because they already have the power.” Braun, who was a senator in 1993-99, operates an organic food company.

Top Hillary Headlines for July 14, 2007

Associated Press: “Anyone who thinks his wife can’t win because she’s a woman or because “she’s so polarizing” should remember how polarizing he was when he first ran for president, Clinton said. He said his wife is the target of so much criticism because she is the candidate Republicans most fear in the general election. “They always pick the person they think is the most trouble for them and beat ‘em to death as early as they can,” he said.

In Keene, Clinton said electing his wife will restore America’s standing in the world “virtually overnight.” He praised his wife’s dedication in her many public roles, including Friday morning when her arrival was delayed by nearly two hours so she could vote on a bill increasing the reward for information leading to the capture of Osama bin Laden. More than 1,000 people attended the first two rallies and about double that many were in Manchester. Commenting on the crowd size, the former president recalled an early trip to New Hampshire in 1991, and being told that at least 50 people needed to attend at an event “to avoid abject humiliation. About 400 showed up. “I thought, `I might actually win this thing,’” he said. “And I first realized it in Keene, New Hampshire.”

At their final stop, he joked: “When I ran for president, I didn’t get a crowd this big in Manchester until about 14 minutes before the polls opened.”

Boston Globe: “Hillary Clinton and Newt Gingrich, an erstwhile odd couple on healthcare issues, reunited briefly this week to promote Alzheimer’s research. They appeared at a Capitol Hill news conference Tuesday to announce a new study group headed by Gingrich, a Republican and former House Speaker, and onetime Democratic senator Bob Kerrey, now president of the New School. Clinton is a leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination; Gingrich has said he is weighing a bid for the GOP nomination and will make a decision after September. When it was Clinton’s turn to speak, she joked about “President Kerrey,” then teased about Gingrich, “I’m sure he’s president of something as well.”

Media Matters:
Despite past discussion on his show, Hannity claimed he had “never heard”
Coulter call for Clinton assassination “On the July 9 edition of Fox News’ Hannity & Colmes, co-host Sean Hannity responded to liberal blogger Hart Williams’ recent statement that he has “dibs on [conservative radio host] Rush [Limbaugh], as soon as it’s legal and lawful to shoot him” by asking, “And what if it was a conservative that said this?” Later in the segment,co-host Alan Colmes cited right-wing pundit Ann
Coulter’s statement in her book High Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Case against Bill Clinton (Regnery, 1998), that the national debate during the Monica Lewinsky uproar should not have focused on whether President Bill Clinton “did it,” but rather “whether to impeach or assassinate” him. Media Research Center president L. Brent Bozell III
replied: “I have never heard her say that.” Hannity agreed: “I’ve never heard it, either.” However, as Media Matters for America documented, Coulter’s comments were
discussed on a previous edition of Hannity & Colmes.

On Rose, Gerth and Van Natta repeated discredited defense of alleged 1993 plan for Hillary Clinton presidency “On the July 6 edition of the Public Broadcasting Service’s (PBS) Charlie
Rose Show, authors Jeff Gerth and Don Van Natta Jr. repeated their defense of
the disputed claim in their book Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton (Little, Brown & Co., June 2007) that after President Bill Clinton took
office in 1993, he and Hillary Clinton updated their alleged “twenty-year
project” to include “eight years as president for him, then eight years for
her.” When host Charlie Rose noted that the purported source of the story,
historian Taylor Branch, “has denied it,” both Gerth and Van Natta suggested
that Branch originally told them that he “didn’t remember” relaying this
story to a married couple (whose secondhand account the authors cite in the
book) “at a barbecue in Aspen, Colorado, in the summer of 1993.” Gerth and
Van Natta also claimed that Branch “wouldn’t deny it happened” when they
spoke to him during the writing of the book. However, as Media Matters for
America noted, Branch claimed in a May 31 written statement that the authors “never told” him what he was “supposed to have said” to the couple and that what he
“didn’t deny” was dining with the couple in Aspen in 1993. Branch asserted
that it was not until receiving advanced “proofs” of Her Way that he became
aware of the substance of “a story attributed to me therein from the summer
of 1993″ and further stated he had “never heard either Clinton talk about a
‘plan’ for them both to become president.”

Media Matters: Cal Thomas: Hillary Clinton is “not a person who believes in the central tenets of Christianity”
“In his July 10 nationally syndicated column, Cal Thomas discussed a July 7 New York Times article that reported that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) “said she believed in the resurrection of Jesus, though she described herself as less sure of the doctrine that being a Christian is the only way to salvation.” Thomas asserted: “This is a
politician speaking, not a person who believes in the central tenets of Christianity.” He went on to suggest that a Christian cannot believe that “there are other ways to God than through Jesus.”

clinton.html?_r=2&hp=&pagewanted=all>A July 7 New York Times article by reporter Michael Luo exploring how Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-NY) Methodist faith “intertwines” with her “political life” asserted that Clinton “has been alluding to her spiritual life with increasing regularity in recent years,” and that those references “have come under attack, both from conservatives who doubt her sincerity …
and liberals who object to any injection of religion into politics.” Yet the
article cited only one named conservative source attacking the “sincerity”
of Clinton’s faith — Weekly Standard senior editor Andrew Ferguson, whose
comments were taken from a separate interview on MSNBC, previously notedby Media Matters for America
– as well as unnamed “conservative bloggers.” By contrast, in addition to
interviewing Clinton about her faith, Luo cited numerous sources –
including those close to Clinton, Republican candidate for president and
former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (himself a Baptist minister), =About.Home> theologians, and other religious experts — asserting in a
variety of ways that Clinton is, as John C. Green, senior fellow at the Pew
Forum on Religion and Public Life, was quoted as saying in the article, “a
person of deep and sincere faith.” Notwithstanding Luo’s assertion about
“attack[s]” on Clinton’s “references to faith” from both conservatives and
liberals, the article did not quote — either by name or anonymously — any
“liberals who object” to Clinton’s “injection of religion into politics.”

“Perhaps Barak Obama chose the wrong place and time last night to bring his message to the people, who seemed more interested in the O’Jays than politics. While there were certainly more people last night at the Superdome, Hillary’s presence ignited the thousands in the audience today in a way that Obama could only have hoped for. Even when Clinton referred to a “charismatic young man” who introduced her to politics many years ago, the crowd whooped with excitement. She didn’t even have to say the name Bill.”

Top Hillary Headlines for July 6, 2007

“Experience appears to outweigh both race and gender in voters’ minds, however. More than two-thirds (70 percent) of the poll’s respondents feel Clinton, a former First Lady now in her second term as senator from New York, has enough experience in government to be a good president. For Obama, a first-term senator from Illinois, the number drops to 40 percent (as many as 34 percent say he does not have enough experience). Both candidates are considered more qualified for office by nonwhites than by whites. Fifty-four percent of minorities say Obama is qualified; only 34 percent of whites agree. Eight in 10 (79 percent) minorities consider Clinton to be qualified enough, versus 67 percent of whites. More than half (55 percent) say former senator and vice presidential candidate John Edwards has enough experience to be president, while 25 percent say he does not.”

“Some members of the LGBT community watching the debate or hearing it afterwards said they took Obama’s remarks simply as an effort to inject some humor at a time when many in the audience were, no doubt, surprised that Biden would publicly disclose such personal information about another person. But others flinched.”

“I think Biden was wrong in mentioning Obama’s getting tested,” said Ronald Johnson, deputy executive director of AIDS Action. “But Obama just needlessly played into some underlying homophobia in the black community. By saying he wanted to make it clear, he was saying, ‘I don’t want anybody to get the wrong idea.’ He was needlessly saying, in effect, ‘I’m not gay’ and getting a cheap laugh at the expense of gay men and black gay men.”

“For her part, Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) triggered a spontaneous standing ovation from many of the women in the audience when she said, “If HIV/AIDS were the leading cause of death of white women between the ages of 25 and 34 there would be an outrage, an outcry in this country.” She went on to say that, among other things which had been mentioned by other candidates, she’s working to increase funding for the Ryan White CARE Act for AIDS treatment “because there are a lot of women, particularly, who are becoming infected in poor rural areas, as well as underserved urban areas ”

“Don’t get me wrong,” said Jones, phoning from Amsterdam, where he was hanging out with some pals, a selection of Nobel Prize winners. “I love the guy. Obama is a genius, he’s a star. And by the time he’s succeeded in doing everything he wants to do, he’s going to be major, major, major. But you have to know how the system works. “Right now, with what’s going on in the world, it’s really scary. We need someone who really understands that. Hillary is fantastic. She’s an amazing woman. And Bill will be back.”

“Kennedy, 60, is one of several dozen retired military service members advising U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign. When the steering committee was announced earlier this year, Kennedy called Clinton a strong leader who can protect the nation and rebuild relationships with other countries. Kennedy was the first female three-star general in the Army and served as the Army’s deputy chief of staff for intelligence for three years. She made headlines when she accused Maj. Gen. Larry G. Smith of making unwanted sexual advances in 1996. Smith was reprimanded and retired in 2000.”

“Having seen Candidate Clinton in action up close more than once, she doesn’t have to worry that she can deliver. She’s been underestimated from the start, with people believing the right-wing talking points thrown out by the wingnuts for over a decade. Democrats that don’t like her will never come over, but that doesn’t make her less effective. The fact is she offers young women an historic chance to change history. That’s a powerfully modern pull.”

“The campaign is casting a wide net to promote the Monday event, putting out a recorded telephone message in central Iowa, whose recipients included people registered as Democrats and independents. The Clintons also are scheduled to campaign together at the University of Iowa in Iowa City and in downtown Davenport on Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, they plan to participate in the Clear Lake July 4th parade before headlining an afternoon event at the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo and an evening event in Cedar Rapids.”

“Sen. Clinton will stay on in Iowa after the former president breaks off the trail after Wednesday, with plans to campaign in Muscatine, Ottumwa and Fort Dodge on Thursday. For details about attending any of the events featuring former President Bill Clinton, call the telephone numbers for the respective cities:

Des Moines: (515) 558-9630

Iowa City: (319) 358-5837

Davenport: (563) 322-8715

Clear Lake: (641) 424-3569

Waterloo: (319) 833-9465

Cedar Rapids: (319) 364-4083

PollHudson: “New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton received a 93 percent rating from the AFL-CIO for her voting record last year. That ties her with Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware.”

“Obama’s campaign irked the Indian-American community last week by circulating a memo that described Clinton as a Democrat representing Punjab and detailing her ties to Indian firms that specialize in outsourcing. “It’s done Obama a lot more harm than good. He had something good going for him and he screwed it up,” said Riyaz Akhtar, who attended a private VIP reception with Clinton before the dinner.”

“The memo couldn’t have been more ill-timed. Obama angered the richest and best-educated of America’s immigrant communities just as they are starting to flex their considerable political muscle for the first time in a presidential election.”

“Sunday’s event raised nearly 3 million dollars for Hillary’s campaign from 1,250 people who attended the dinner, showcasing the financial clout of Indian-Americans. At this fund-raiser, Hillary Clinton ignored the recent barbs from Barack Obama’s camp and did not shy away from focusing on her proximity to India and to Indian-Americans.”

“We have alienated people who still are looking for leadership from the United States and not finding it,” she said. “The United states has to get back to leading, leading by example and leading by alliances and partnerships.”

“I support Hillary Clinton because she is the candidate that will help boost the prospects of the middle class,” said Huntington Park Mayor Elba Guerrero. “Her policies will help more students get a better education beginning with pre-K on to college, and she will help more families achieve the American dream. I urge others to join me in voting for Hillary Clinton.”

“These local leaders will be critical to spreading our message of change across California, and I’m honored to have their support,” Clinton said.”

“Clinton was endorsed by California Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez and more than 15 other state legislators in April during her visit to the State Party convention.”

“Arkansans also buy 10 Clinton items for every one with fellow Democrat Barack Obama’s name. “I would say every day we have somebody coming in and buying something with her name on it,” said Randi Evans, president of AdCraft of Arkansas.”

Top Hillary Headlines for June 20, 2007

MSNBC: “While not sexy, the Clinton campaign seems to be the proverbial “three or four yards and a cloud of dust.” They are organizationally strong, featuring a political focus and discipline that matches that of the candidate. Obama is still attracting an impressive amount of curiosity and interest and will probably turn in another impressive quarter of fundraising, meaning that he is still a formidable rival for Clinton. But what looked like a juggernaut two months ago is now starting to look like a very impressive and promising first date, but with the second and third dates likely to be less fulfilling.”

PrezVid: “Brilliant. This will go crazy: huge traffic and the best indication of a campaign sense of humor I’ve seen yet in this election. Bill’s a better actor – well, hasn’t that always been the case — but the entire effort has just the right touches: a real American diner (in Mt. Kisco, NY), Hilllary at the jukebox, Bill hankering for something fried, Chelsea parallel parking. The only thing they missed was a Members Only Jackson for Phil.”

“Clinton turned her head, waved and smiled at Rodriguez and a small group of supporters, before the vehicle parked and Clinton went inside for a private fundraiser. “I just love that woman,” Rodriguez, 56, said with a smile. “I’m a nobody, but when she becomes president, I’ll be somebody.”

Top Hillary Headlines for June 14, 2007

Hotline: “The chair of Garden State Equality, NJ’s largest gay rights organization, Steven Goldstein endorsed HRC. Goldstein said the endorsement represented his “personal choice, and that his organization will not make an endorsement before” the NJ primary. Goldstein: “I wish all the presidential candidates with a realistic shot to win the nomination were pro-marriage equality. None are. Within that context, Senator Clinton’s support for the LGBTI community is as strong as any of the other candidates who have the most realistic shot to win” (PoliticsNJ.com, 6/14).”

Top Hillary Headlines for May 21, 2007

“Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign reported today that more than 100,000 votes have been cast so far in its online poll to choose a theme song. Her video announcing the poll has been viewed by 550,000 people, either on YouTube or at HillaryClinton.com.”

“The Clinton Campaign today announced the endorsement of Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and named her a National Campaign Co-Chair and Gulf States Regional Co-Chair. “I am pleased today to endorse Hillary Rodman Clinton for President,” Jackson Lee said. “Senator Clinton has a great love for America and has a deep understanding of the issues that face our nation. I look forward to having a strategic role in the campaign and helping this dedicated public servant become the next President of the United States.” Jackson Lee is in her seventh term in Congress, and is Co-Chair of the Congressional Children’s Caucus and a leading voice on immigration issues. Congressional Quarterly has named her one of the 50 most effective Members of Congress, and U.S. News and World Report called her one of the 10 most influential legislators in the House of Representatives.

“The blogosphere is buzzing about a “surprising” number tucked inside a new Marist poll…. 91% of Democrats say they won’t hold Hillary’s war vote against her…. That’ll make Daily Kos’ Markos Moulitsas Zuniga and the other liberal bloggers pull their hair out…. But, of course, all those liberal bloggers are much smarter than all those Democratic primary voters who say they’ll vote for Hillary….

In VA, 5 General Assembly members and “several other” state Dem leaders May 7, 2007, endorsed HRC. VA state Sens. Mamie Locke and Louise Lucas, along with Dels. Al Eisenberg, Johnny Joannou, Lionell Spruill announced their support of HRC. (Whitley, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 5/8).

“Clinton chose the ceremony at Wilberforce for her first foray into bellwether Ohio in the year before the election. The site was the Nutter Center at Wright State University in suburban Dayton. The venue has a capacity for 12,000 people.”

Top Hillary Headlines For May 4, 2007

Top Hillary Headlines For May 3, 2007

“The New York branch of the AFL-CIO, which represents 2.5 million workers, has passed a resolution urging its national organization to “consider Senator Clinton’s extraordinary body of work on behalf of the cause, values and principles of organized labor when deciding labor’s endorsement for President of the United States.”

Born into slavery as one of the youngest of thirteen children of James and Elizabeth in Ulster County, New York, in 1797, Sojourner Truth’s given name was Isabella Baumfree. As almost all of her brothers and sisters had been sold to other slave owners, some of her earliest memories were of her parents’ stories of the cruel loss of their other children. [snip]

In 1843, she changed her name to Sojourner Truth – her name for a traveling preacher, one who speaks the truth – and left New York. She traveled throughout New England, where she met and worked with abolitionists such as William Lloyd Garrison, and Frederick Douglass. Her life story, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave, written with the help of friend Olive Gilbert, was published in 1850.

While traveling and speaking in states across the country, Sojourner Truth met many women abolitionists and noticed that although women could be part of the leadership in the abolitionist movement, they could neither vote nor hold public office. It was this realization that led Sojourner to become an outspoken supporter of women’s rights.

In 1851, she addressed the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio, delivering her famous speech “Ain’t I a Woman?” The applause she received that day has been described as “deafening.” From that time on, she became known as a leading advocate for the rights of women. She became one of the nineteenth century’s most eloquent voices for the cause of anti-slavery and women’s rights.

January 28, 2009

NoLimits.org will "keep you up to date with news about issues on which Hillary took a lead and we know you care so much about," group President Ann Lewis said in an e-mail to as many as 2 million people culled from the Clinton campaign database.

Because No Limits is a registered nonprofit, "it cannot do anything political. It has to be nonpartisan," said Lewis, a longtime senior adviser to Clinton.

In Clinton's job as secretary of state for President Obama, her political dealings are highly restricted.

For example, she shut down her political action committee.

Some, like Democratic consultant and former Bill Clinton aide Chris Lehane, dismiss talk that the group could be a springboard for Clinton to try again for the White House in, say, 2016.

"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar," Lehane said. "I think this is just [a] group of folks who developed relationships in an intense [electoral] environment and want to stay together."

But the University of Virginia's Larry Sabato countered: "Whenever a group like this says it's not a political organization, you just know it is."

"Maybe [this] is Hillary's answer to Obama's new 'change' group that controls his golden mailing list. Maybe it's a way for Secretary of State Clinton to mobilize backing for her objectives at the State Department," he said. "And maybe [it's] a standby committee of supporters in case Hillary decides to get back into elective politics."

Democratic consultant Hank Sheinkopf said NoLimits.org is "one way to make sure that she - and/or the former President - still have political leverage."

Hillary World-Wide January 26, 2009

Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton Meets Afghan Women Lawyers. Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton met today at the State Department with fourteen prominent Afghan women judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys. These jurists were in Washington to participate in a training program arranged by the Department’s Public-Private Partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan. Secretary Clinton told them: "Your American friends greatly admire your bravery and courage. It is your work in the tough environment of Afghanistan for women lawyers that will bring real reform and the rule of law to the Afghan people. As President Obama made clear yesterday in his first foreign policy announcement, we are committed to supporting your efforts to bring security and stability to your country."